Sound-emitting Beverage Container

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a sound-emitting beverage container. The container comprises a generally cylindrical receptacle having a substantially closed bottom and open top, and receiving at its bottom a removable coaster, which coaster includes a top member and a bottom member, each member having a hollowed space in its center, wherein the space receives therein a removable sound chip, which sound chip comprises an integrated circuit connected to a power source for powering the integrated circuit, a switch for controlling the power source upon actuation of said switch, and a speaker, wherein the integrated circuit is configured to store a signal corresponding to a pre-recorded sound and to transmit to the speaker the signal for producing the pre-recorded sound upon the integrated circuit being supplied with power from the power source upon actuation of the switch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.application Ser. No. 61/459,728, filed Dec. 17, 2010, the specificationof which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a beverage container whichproduces a sound.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Beverage containers, particularly those comprising an insulating sleeveof the type generally referred to as a koozie are frequently distributedas part of promotional efforts for concerts, sporting events, movies,radio stations, and other aspects of the entertainment industry. Thepractice has become so common, however, and such containers are sowidely available for small costs, that the distinctiveness of thecontainer as a promotional item has been lost. Retention of thepromotional message relating to the beverage covers is thussubstantially reduced. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide adistinctive insulated beverage container which reinforces retention of apromotional message when distributed. It would further be advantageousif the beverage container provided a source of amusement orentertainment to users and recipients.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a sound-emitting beverage container and a method ofemitting a sound by a user of a sound-emitting beverage container. Thecontainer comprises a generally cylindrical receptacle having asubstantially closed bottom and open top, and receiving at its bottom aremovable coaster, which coaster includes a top member and a bottommember, each member having a hollowed space in its center, wherein thespace receives therein a removable sound chip, which sound chipcomprises an integrated circuit connected to a power source for poweringthe integrated circuit, a switch for controlling the power source uponactuation of said switch, and a speaker, wherein the integrated circuitis configured to store a signal corresponding to a pre-recorded soundand to transmit to the speaker the signal for producing the pre-recordedsound upon the integrated circuit being supplied with power from thepower source upon actuation of the switch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the receptacle, coaster, andsound chip of the sound-emitting beverage container.

FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of the coaster of the sound-emittingbeverage container showing the top member and bottom members, andhollowed space of each of the top and bottom members for receiving thesound chip.

FIG. 3 illustrates a general schematic block circuit diagram of thebasic components of the sound chip of the sound-emitting beveragecontainer.

FIG. 4 illustrates the sound chip of the sound-emitting beveragecontainer as placed inside the hollowed space of the top and bottommembers of the coaster.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the speaker of the sound chip of thesound-emitting beverage container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, and more particularly by referencenumbers, the sound-emitting beverage container includes a receptacle110, removable coaster 112, and removable sound chip 114. The receptacle110 is generally cylindrical and has a substantially closed bottom andopen top, and receives at its bottom the removable coaster 112.Preferably, the receptacle 110 is a standard beverage koozie made of aninsulating material such as foam or polychloroprene (Neoprene™). Theremovable coaster 112 has top 404 and bottom 402 members, each memberhaving a hollowed space 212 in its center, and receiving inside suchspace 212 a removable sound chip 114 configured to store a pre-recordedsound and emit said sound upon activation. The top member 404 of thecoaster 112 with hollowed space 212 includes a layer of awater-resistant material 406 such as plastic to prevent damage to thesound chip 114 from condensation forming on the exterior of a beveragecan or bottle placed inside the receptacle 110. The coaster 112including top 404 and bottom 402 members are preferably made of amaterial that is moisture and vibration-resistant such as polyethylenefoam. The top 404 and bottom 402 members of the coaster 112 may containat least one perforation in its center and extending completelytherethrough.

The sound chip 114 comprises an integrated circuit 302, a power source308 for supplying power to the integrated circuit 302, a switch 306 forcontrolling the supply of power from the power source 308 to theintegrated circuit 302, and a speaker 310. The integrated circuit 302 isconfigured to store and transmit to the speaker 310 through a wire 304 asignal corresponding to a pre-recorded sound to be produced by thespeaker 310. The switch 306 is a push-button switch that, when actuated,permits the power source 308 connected to the integrated circuit 302 tosupply power to the integrated circuit 302, thereby permitting thesignal stored in the integrated circuit 302 to be transmitted to thespeaker 310. The push-button switch 306 is preferably oriented upwardlyso that it will be actuated when sufficient force is applied from abeverage can or bottle that has been inserted into the receptacle 110 bya user of the beverage container. The speaker 310 is preferably orienteddownwardly so as to permit the emission of the sound from the speaker310 through the bottom of the receptacle 110.

The pre-recorded sound may be a promotional message, fight song for anathletic team, or any other sound that capable of providingentertainment to the user of the beverage container.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respectto one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modificationswill occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading andunderstanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. Inaddition, while a particular feature of the invention may have beendisclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, suchfeature may be combined with one or more other features of the otherimplementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given orparticular application.

1. A sound-emitting beverage container comprising a receptacle forreceiving a beverage can or bottle, removable coaster, and removablesound chip, wherein said receptacle is generally cylindrical and has asubstantially closed bottom and open top, and receives at its bottomsaid removable coaster, said removable coaster having top and bottommembers, each member having a hollowed space in its center, andreceiving inside said space said removable sound chip, said removablesound-chip configured to emit a pre-recorded sound stored therein uponactivation thereof.
 2. The sound-emitting beverage container of claim 1,wherein said receptacle is made of foam or polychloroprene.
 3. Thesound-emitting beverage container of claim 1, wherein said receptacle isa koozie.
 4. The sound-emitting beverage container of claim 1, whereinsaid top member having said hollowed space includes a layer ofwater-resistant material inside said space.
 5. The sound-emittingbeverage container of claim 1, wherein said sound chip comprises anintegrated circuit connected to a power source for powering saidintegrated circuit, a switch for controlling said power source uponactuation of said switch, and a speaker, said integrated circuitconfigured to store a signal corresponding to a pre-recorded sound andto transmit to said speaker said signal for producing the pre-recordedsound upon said integrated circuit being supplied with power from saidpower source upon actuation of said switch.
 6. The sound-emittingbeverage container of claim 5, wherein said switch is a push-buttonswitch that is actuated when a minimum force is applied to said switch,said minimum force supplied by a beverage can or bottle placed insidesaid receptacle by a user of said beverage container.